Poppy Appeal goes for a special gold

PEOPLE are rushing to grab limited edition gold leaf poppies to mark a century since Armistice Day.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) yesterday revealed that one in six paper poppies would feature a “gold leaf ” with the years “1918-2018” printed on it to mark the anniversary.

It has also produced 40,000 “khadi” poppies – made from the same linen worn by Mahatma Gandhi – to honour the 74,000 Indian First World War soldiers who died fighting for Britain.

Both poppies will be available in sellers' boxes across the UK but there are fears the special poppies could run out faster than expected. Seven million poppies with gold leaves have already been distributed.

People buying poppies can rummage through boxes to choose their own. The RBL hopes they will encourage people to take a closer look at the poppy they buy and the meaning it holds.

Claire Rowcliffe, the RBL director of fundraising, said: “We thought it poignant in the year we mark the end of the First World War centenary to launch a special version of our paper poppy for the Poppy Appeal, something we have never done before.” Remembrance Sunday falls on November 11 this year, 100 years to the day since the Allies signed the Armistice with Germany at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” to end the First World War. This year’s appeal was launched yesterday and is set to be the biggest ever, with a target of £50million.

Art works have also been revealed to commemorate the centenary, including a 20ft-high (6m) poppy installation at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Its threads point to locations – including Downing Street, Brighton Pavilion and the Library of Birmingham – where smaller works are found. Separately, the Intellectual Property Office and the RBL urged the public to beware of fake ceramic poppy merchandise following a rise in counterfeits.